"Youths Are Leaders of Today and Tomorrow"

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) - "The youth are leaders of today and tomorrow," Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, convenor of the Inter- Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) said at the IFAPA Commission meeting in the Rwandan capital.
Addressing journalists at the end of end of the four-day inaugural meeting of the Commission on 22 June, Noko, who is also general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) said he firmly believed that the youth have a very important role in bringing peace and reconciliation in Africa.

Noko said unity and cooperation between the elders and youth can be achieved when peace building is the unifying factor. He echoed the adage "united we stand, divided we fall," and assured the youth that there would be an opportunity to have a youth-pre conference before the main summit in 2008.

Highlighting the main issues covered during the meeting, Noko said "A Mother’s cry for a Healthy Africa" was a significant issue as it underscored the "upliftment of the health and wellness of Africa" and the strength of women striving for peace. Also important was the location of the IFAPA Secretariat and its constitution, which both provide IFAPA with legal recognition. The constitution, which was agreed in principle, will be formally adopted at the Third IFAPA Summit in 2008. The Commission received proposals for the secretariat’s location, and agreed that it would finalize the issue.

The other main issue was the availability and accessibility of water in Africa, which, as the IFAPA convenor explained, is an important component of every religion. The launching of the African Monitor, an initiative of the Anglican Archbishop Njogonkulu Ndungane from Cape Town, South Africa was well received by the IFAPA Commission. Ndungane explained that the body monitors and promotes the effective implementation of development commitments to Africa.

Concluding the press conference, Noko encouraged the IFAPA youth and LWF Youth—participants in the three-year communication training program—to play an active role in the next IFAPA summit.

(By LWF Youth)

"Towards a Communicating Communion - A Youth Vision"

Presentation of the IFAPA and the LWF Youth

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) - Shortly before the IFAPA Commission meeting concluded on Thursday, June 22, morning, the IFAPA and the LWF youth were given space to present their work to the plenary.

Ms Brenda Akpan and Ms Pauline Mumia, both leading the LWF youth group, presented the process and objectives of the youth training program, which had already begun in spring 2005 with a general meeting in Lyon, France. Ms Nyeneime Utin, a young communicator from Nigeria, shared some views and wishes of the youths working in various African churches. The wish to be heard and to be supported from their church leaders was very loud.
The aim now will be to include the youths into ALCINET (Africa Lutheran Communication and Information Network) in order to train them further and to make sure, young people follow and bring new ideas and views.

The IFAPA youth, represented by Sheikh Hamid Byamugenzi and Mr. Seide Ould Seide, presented their view of the future cooperation and youth work.

There were approaches to work together as far as possible.

Meeting IFAPA Journalists

For the youth consultation, which was meant as a training workshop for young communicators, the LWF had invited four professional journalists from different regions of Africa and Europe. At certain points during the meeting, they were asked to give a short presentation on their work and to answer questions. As they came from various backgrounds and are working in different areas the youths were given a broad overview of a journalist's work. Their technical and procedural input was very helpful for the concrete training in writing.

The journalists were:

Mr. Michel Kocher
Radio Swiss Romand
Producer for religious programs
Switzerland





Mr. Klaus Rieth
Press Officer for the Church of Baden-Würtemberg
Germany



Mr. Fredrick Nzwili
Ecumenical News International
Kenya

Mr. Abou Ojie
Abuja Today (newspaper)
Nigeria

It Will Never Happen Again

Visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) - Participants in the inaugural meeting of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission visited and offered prayers at one of the tombs near the Kigali memorial center on 21 June. The concrete tombs contain hundreds of coffins filled with the remains of hundreds of thousands people killed in and around the capital in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

At the tomb the IFAPA convenor, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, and former Norwegian Prime Minister, Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik laid a wreath with the words, "Never Again." This gesture emphasized IFAPA’s commitment to work toward peace in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

The prayers by religious leaders from different faiths, were followed by a guided tour of the genocide memorial museum which is located above the tombs. Built by an international body, Aegis Trust, in cooperation with the local communities, the Kigali Education and Memorial Center was opened in April 2004 and marked the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the 100 days of genocide in which nearly 1 million people died. The center is one of several such sites set up in Rwanda, with the aim to provide a lasting memorial to the victims of the genocide; to gain international recognition for the plight of the Rwandan people, and; through education, to avert the recurrence of genocide in a country which is still at significant risk.

At the museum, several exhibits give a historical background of genocide in Rwanda, tracing it back to the first large scale killings involving the two ethnic groups, Hutus and Tutsis, in 1959, three years prior to the country’s independence from the then colonial power Belgium. It also archives other genocides and ethnic killings the world over, including images from the Second World War among others.
The curator explained that before colonial rule in Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsi lived in harmony. The Belgians had divided the two tribes by favoring the Tutsis and by explaining how they were different from the majority tribe Hutu.

Concerning the 1994 killings, she mentioned that the international community had committed a historical mistake by ignoring information about the impending genocide. She explained that the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had confirmed this: his word of regret for being careless with regard to information issued about the genocide is displayed in the museum.
The group was deeply moved by the visit to the museum. The short readings about the evidence of the killings, supported by pictures and video clips was a very succinct way of listening to the genocide story.

After the visit, all the group members were quiet, many of them deeply moved to tears. Hardly anyone said anything; many of them asked silently the question: "Did this really happen?" But the fact is, they had seen with their very eyes, "Yes, it happened."

Before returning to the Hotel des Mille Collines, the venue of the IFAPA meeting, the group had a tour of very well structured government housing projects aimed at encouraging Rwanda’s ethnic groups to co-exist peacefully and to ensure that the genocide "never happens again." As a Rwandan member of the IFAPA Commission explained during the tour guide, the "many beautiful residences and infrastructures which have been constructed after the genocide, are a sign of restoration and witness that life is going in Rwanda."
The IFAPA visitors promised to continue to pray and work in their respective areas as religious representatives to ensure that such killing as happened in 1994 would never recur in Rwanda or elsewhere in the world.

By Yohannes Hailu (Ethiopia) & Zelda Cristina Cossa, (Mozambique).

Visit to the LWF/DWS Field Office in Kigali

KIGALI, Rwanda (Youth Consultation) - On Wednesday, June 21, the LWF youth group visited the LWF/DWS field office in Kigali, which is lead by Ms Hermine Nikolaisen since November 2005. The office has aproximately 15 Rwandese staff members working in different areas.

It was established just after the Genocide in August 1994 for emergency aid to victims and internally displaces persons, assisting returning refugees with construction of shelters and reconstruction of schools, health services and water systems. Trauma healing was incorporated into the program to help address personal and community rage, hostility and antagonism, and to develop capacities to come to terms with the past and to live together as a community.

From 1999, the program shifted to the empowerment of vulnerable communities to achieve self-sufficiency. An integrated approach emphasized capacity building of local partners and community based organizations, and addressed crosscutting issues of HIV/AIDS, the environment, peace and reconciliation, and emergency preparedness.

With the start up of the Gacaca courts and release of prisoners, the DWS program is supporting partners to establish community based counseling services and structures for conflict resolution, aimed at promoting healing and reducing the renewed trauma that prisoner release could cause. Strong support continues for partners, especially churches, in HIV/AIDS awareness raising and advocacy against stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS. Even 12 years after the Genocide the Rwandan society remains dislocated, impoverished and traumatized.

The group was warmly welcomed by Ms Nikolaisen and two staff members, Mr Emmanuel Murangira, program coordinator, and Ms Sergine Gakwaya, responsible for crosscutting issues including HIV and AIDS, who told us a lot about their work, its successes and the challenges they face.

A Mother's Cry for a Healthy Africa

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) – "A mother’s cry for a healthy Africa," was a major focus of the Inter- Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission meting in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. Ms Merab Mulindi, the IFAPA women’s desk coordinator, presented the desk’s work on 21 June.

Chairing the session, Ms Lucretia Warren from Botswana, encouraged women participants to share what had happened in their countries since the IFAPA women’s desk was formed in 2005 (it only came into effect July 5 2006, though).

Ms Margaret Arach from Uganda, a landmine survivor, spoke of the steps she had initiated in her country to encourage women landmine survivors to come together and share their experiences, and plan to improve their lives. She explained that many innocent civilians like her, had missing limbs and other permanent injuries as a result of the over two-decade fighting between rebels and the government in northern Uganda. The victims felt frustrated and excluded from the rest of society. They received little or no assistance from the government and civil society.

Ms Asha Hagi Elmi, a Member of Parliament from Somalia, emphasized the important role of women in peace building initiatives. Women contribute valuable qualities to a peace process, she said, adding that their full participation in any national peace initiatives was imperative, and not an option.

Ms Carin Gardbring from Sweden spoke of her work with women networks in her country, and in the Nordic region. She encouraged the IFAPA women to cooperate with other women’s networks in the Europe, and extended an invitation for a women’s exchange visit to the Nordic region.
The commission received several recommendations on the future of IFAPA women’s work, and agreed to focus attention on training and capacity building of women; to advocate for women’s issues; and develop possibilities for networking.

By LWF Youth

Four African countries and their concerns

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) - On Tuesday, June 20, representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sudan, Somalia and Liberia were invited to give reports on the situations and processes in their countries.





Democratic Republic of Congo
Rev. Gilbert Boissa
President of the National Inter-religious Forum of IFAPA in DRC

To read the country report pleace click here.



Burundi
Ms Perpétue Kankindi
Burundi Christian Council

To read the country report please click here.

Sudan
Prof. Al-Tayib Zain al-Abdin
General Secretary of the Sudan Inter-religious Council (SIRC)

To read the country report please click here.


Somalia
Ms Mde. Asha Hagi Elmi and Sheikh Omar Bashir

To read the country report please click here.


Liberia
Rt. Rev. Dr. Sumoward E. Harris
Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Liberia, president of Liberian Council of Churches and vice president of the Inter-religious Council of Liberia

To read the country report please click here.

"Work as a team"

Njongonkulu Ndungane

Cape Town Archbishop

KIGALI, Rwanda (IFAPA Commission Meeting) - Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane from Cape Town, South Africa, has said "religious leaders in Africa could restore peace on the continent if they work together as a team."
Addressing participants in the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, on 19 June, Ndungane praised religious networks in Africa for promoting moral standards and for their commitment to the wellbeing of the African people.
In his capacity as Initiator of the African Monitor, he expressed his willingness to collaborate with IFAPA to strengthen the development of the African continent. IFAPA, he added, is a strong network representing all the faith communities in Africa.
Among the various activities carried out by the African Monitor, which he started to monitor and promote the effective implementation of development commitments to Africa, he mentioned the need to follow up on unfulfilled promises, with the aim to making a difference in people’s lives.
Ndungane thanked IFAPA and its convenor, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, for inviting him to celebrate the historic inauguration of the IFAPA Commission.

Reported for Radio & Television by participants in the African region LWF Youth communication training workshop (Daphne Martin (India), Nyeneime Utin (Nigeria) & Simon Djobdi (Cameroon)

Inauguration of the IFAPA commission, 19th June 2006

H. E. Paul Kagame
President of the Republic of Rwanda

Rwandan President Paul Kagame launched the Inter Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission yesterday in the country’s capital Kigali.

The IFAPA Commission inauguration took place in a ceremony attended by high ranking officials of the Government of Rwanda, representatives of the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of inter-religious bodies throughout Africa.
Kagame thanked IFAPA for choosing Rwanda “the heart of Africa” as the place to launch its Commission, the main organ that will assist it in achieving its peace-building and development objectives.

To read the full speech please click here.

Dr Gertrude Mongella

The President of the Pan-African Parliament,

Dr Gertrude Mongella hailed the Rwandan president and people for the great strides they had made in building peace in the country. “When I visited Rwanda after the 1994 genocide “there was a smell of blood, but when I returned today, there is a smell of peace,” she remarked. She urged IFAPA to articulate its voice to be heard by the African people.

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko

General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation,

Convenor of the IFAPA

The Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, IFAPA convenor, and General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) thanked all those who had supported the IFAPA initiative since it was officially started in 2002. “We need to open Africa for greater things,” he stressed.

Around 70 religious leaders drawn from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Baha’i Faith, the African Traditional Religion and Rastafarian are attending the meeting.

To read the complete speech please click here.

Reported by LWF Youth
(Grace Phiri, Yohannes Hailu and Zo Rakotoniaina)

Welcome

Dear friends,

Welcome to the blog for the African region consultation of the ongoing LWF youth training program "Towards a Communicating Communion – A Youth Vision". The meeting takes place under the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission meeting in Kigali, Rwanda from 19 to 24 June 2006 at the Mille Collines Hotel.

Communication Training Workshop
The major part of the communication training workshop is planned for three days; 22-24 June. In order to gather some background information about the work of IFAPA and the initiatives that are in place, you will participate in the IFAPA program events from 19-22 June.

This blog will serve us as a forum to post articles, reports and photos from the IFAPA events and from our workshop, including the field visits.

The content of this blog will be updated during the Kigali meeting.

The group
Our group consists of (from left to right on the picuture above):
Zo Rakotoniaina (Madagascar), Grace Phiri (Malawi), Zelda Cossa (Mozambique), Shepherd Mjanja (Zimbabwe), Brenda Akpan (Nigeria, group mentor), Sindisiwe Ndelu (South Africa, LWF Council member), Pauline Mumia (Kenya, LWF staff), Simon Djobdi (Cameroon), Daphne Martin (India, joined the group for this workshop as she couldn't take part in the Asia Youth Consultation), Iris Kohler (Germany, LWF trainee), Nyeneime Utin (Nigeria) and Yohannes Hailu (Ethiopia).